Tea For Two or more if you bring a fox along
by Rowan and Sakura
Summary: Yusuke visits Koenma one afternoon, in the hopes of finding love. Instead he gets a cup of tea. And in the human world, Hiei accepts an invite from Kuwabara, in the hopes of seeing Yukina...but nothing ever goes as planned. Pairs inside, shounenai.


Again, I wanted to write a Yu Yu Hakusho story, naturally with romance, but I did not know what pairing to write on. So the slips of paper went back into the proverbial (or not so) hat and I pulled them out and designated pairs and roles (just in case I wanted to stick them in bed). What I got was Yusuke/Koenma, and then Kuwabara/Hiei. Kurama lucked out and has not been placed in any romantic situation. Given my propensity to screw up their sexualities (as well as have them screw each other, if not in the story than at least in the past), our lovely fox is thanking his lucky stars (though Sakura's beginning to expect it had something to do with thief's intuition- she thinks Kurama took his name out just to be safe. Tricky, that one is.)

Anyway, this is a romantic story with characters neither Rowan nor Sakura own. They're, naturally, working on that, but until then, Kurama, Yusuke and Hiei only have guest passes to Rowan's mind (which I wish they would use more often. The permanent residences don't stay often either). Until that far off day, I shall simply be borrowing these cuddly guys and throwing them together (you wonder how they get the momentum to kiss? That would be me.) I hope you enjoy the insanity!

_Tea For Two (or more, if you bring a fox along)_

Yusuke walked sedately past the rows upon rows of ogres running around through their fields of paper work, desks, and rarely used chairs. The noise was nothing more than a mellow buzz as he slowly but determinedly walked towards Koenma's office. It had taken a surprising amount of courage to come here on this self-imposed mission. Yusuke did not want to go about this in his usual, rash, manner; therefore, he naturally neglected to include anyone in on his intent. Not even Kurama would believe him, and the fox was usually open to any and every possibility, so Yusuke relieved himself of having to impart his plans to his teammates and face their tiring disbelief.

It had been hard enough when he told Botan about his feelings for their employer. She had called him a tease and a liar and had even checked her calendar to ensure it was not April Fool's Day (this was back in November). After that, Yusuke decided to keep his feelings to himself and only Hiei, who was perceptive despite his apparent disinterest, had figured him out. Kuwabara was naturally oblivious and Kurama did not care.

Now, months later, following the initial discovery of affection and attraction, Yusuke had finally talked himself into revealing his hidden feelings for Koenma, in hopes of finding them returned. The likelihood, in the detective's opinion, was minimal, but the hope was great enough to outweigh the doubt, otherwise Yusuke would have given up a long time ago. He now stood in front of the doors that Yusuke had passed through countless times before and, staring apprehensively at the door handles, a new kind of dread crept into Yusuke's heart- that of facing humiliating rejection. Before, it had always been more about how Koenma planned to make his life miserable; only now did Yusuke truly fear that possibility.

With trepidation, Yusuke knocked on the gold leaf-coated door; the firm, laconic rap not betraying any of his feelings of uneasiness. A voice called from within, inviting Yusuke (though not by name) to enter and, with a half-assed smirk, he set foot in the office.

Koenma was sitting behind his desk, easily mastering the height of the chair with his own handsome length, much to Yusuke's pleasure. Koenma's adult form was half of the attraction and made it easier for Yusuke to prepare himself for his imminent confession. Koenma was not gracing Yusuke with his attention as he entered, absently filing his nails under the desk as his detective stepped inside. However, just as Yusuke was about to make his presence known with a customary greeting, Koenma looked up and smiled.

"Hello Yusuke, I wasn't expecting you," he said pleasantly. "Would you like to sit down? That petulant ogre was supposed to bring me tea; perhaps you would care to join me?"

Yusuke gawked at the lack of surprise Koenma displayed in his being there, but, not wishing to tread upon the immortal's generosity, quickly took a seat in a velvet plush seat. Yusuke wondered, as he sank into the deep plum cushion, whether the chair had always been there. He did not bother to ask and, later on, the question escaped his mind. It was only on another occasion when Yusuke found himself in Koenma's office, that he noticed the chair's absence, but that is a much different story.

Just as Yusuke adjusted himself to get the full benefit of the soft plush yet not feel like he was a Hiei wrapped up in a giant's bed, the door swung open again. Yusuke had not closed the door on his way in, but left it open a crack, for which George was silently grateful as he walked inside, both arms occupied with a large silver tray. The blue ogre approached Koenma, sitting serenely at his (uncharacteristically clean) desk, placing the tray down with an exhausted sigh. He efficiently placed the tea pot, porcelain cup, tea bags, sugar and cream bowls, and a spoon on the table, leaving a starch linen napkin on Koenma's arm rest just in case. Then, turning to his employer, he said, "Tea for two today, Master Koenma sir?"

Koenma glanced over to Yusuke, who shrugged. Then, turning back to George, he nodded. "Yes ogre. And be sure to bring a wider selection of tea leaves as well." George nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Yusuke sighed. Tea was not what he had in mind when he came…

-

Tea had not been on Hiei's mind either, as he made his way through the city to Kuwabara's apartment. In fact, tea had been the last thing he would have thought of when he received the invitation to Kuwabara's home a couple days prior. Hiei would have been suspicious had Kuwabara not informed him that Kurama, Botan, Yusuke and Yukina were all invited as well. Hiei still wasn't going to go, but then…it rained. Hiei resigned himself to spending his afternoon at the human's abode.

When Kuwabara invited Hiei inside, the human appeared nervous, wringing his hands as he showed Hiei into the living room. Kurama was sitting comfortably on the couch, a tea cup steaming nicely in his hands. There was no one else there. Hiei turned with a glare to Kuwabara. "The detective is late," he stated, hoping the boy would affirm this statement.

Kuwabara's long face was pale and there were bags under his eyes. He did not reply to Hiei's unvoiced question, but Kurama laughed from behind his fellow demon.

"Yusuke had to cancel," he informed Hiei. Kurama was looking too much at ease for Hiei's taste, especially compared to their host's cloud hanging above his head. "Have some tea, Hiei," the fox continued, gesturing to the modest tea set Kuwabara had brought out. "It's a very excellent brand, Kuwabara. I commend you on your taste," Kurama addressed this over Hiei's head to the human.

Kuwabara nodded slightly at the compliment. "Go ahead and have a seat Hiei," he said in a subdued manner. "I'll be joining you in a minute." Kuwabara disappeared further into the apartment and Hiei reluctantly took a seat beside Kurama on the couch. He did not pick up an empty cup, but he did notice that there were only two cups for him to choose from. Kurama watched him with interest.

"Yukina couldn't make it either," the fox said from Hiei's right, his mood sobering as he placed his cup down on the table. "I'm sure that was your only reason for coming today; I'm afraid you're stuck with Kuwabara and me."

Hiei snorted in derision. "The company is not intolerable," he mumbled tetchily, deciding to help himself to some tea. He steadily poured the scalding water into his cup, a sensible off-white with a tiny design of blue flowers on the side and delicate handle. Hiei selected a tea bag and let it soak, leaving the cup resting near the edge of the table.

Hiei sat back into the couch, finally allowing himself to relax, if only slightly. Kurama laughed again from his seat and Hiei turned a curious eye to the fox, wondering quietly who hit Kurama on the head. "Botan told me she saw Yusuke go to the Spirit World earlier today. What could that be about, I wonder? Botan went to find out."

"That explains her absence," Hiei remarked coolly. "However, she is wasting her time. The detective went to visit Koenma on a personal matter."

Kurama arched an interested eyebrow at the demon. "Yusuke told you this?"

"It's obvious; the detective has been suffering from amorous feelings towards Koenma for awhile. I presume he went to do something about that."

Kurama laughed again and Hiei wisely decided to let his tea sit for a while more. He suspected either Ms. Minamino dropped her infant son on his head years ago and the effects were only beginning to show or there was something dangerous in the tea. Hiei was not going to take his chances. "What a pity Yusuke skipped out on tea with us though! Well, I suppose to him, the choice between Koenma and tea was easy. Still, this is such a perfect afternoon for tea; it seems a pity to waste it." With a shrug, the Kurama that seemed the only thing to frighten Hiei picked up his tea cup and took a demure sip. Hiei was already calculating his escape from his deranged companion and almost wished for Kuwabara's return.

This was not what Hiei pictured when Kuwabara told them they were going to "have tea and just hang out."

-

Yusuke blew softly on his tea, hesitating before he dropped a sugar cube into the hot water. Did Spirit World have the same kind of sugar he had? His mind was too occupied with other matters and so Yusuke did not dwell long on the question.

Koenma was sitting back in his seat, tea cup cradled into his chest, golden eyes staring over the rim at the boy. Yusuke shifted in his seat as he took a cautionary sip from his porcelain cup, finding the tea soothing and calm. The tea bag Yusuke had chosen boasted a "bold new taste of raspberry, honey and mint"; the detective found the mixtures of tastes refreshing and well blended. Not that he was a tea expert or anything, but Atsuko was rather fond of the beverage and when she was not off drinking booze with her "friends" she was at home drinking tea. She also kept plenty of tea leaf tins around for her son and his guests- Keiko was quite partial to the imported Earl Gray; Botan enjoyed the green tea herself and Yusuke had no preference. However, after tasting the intriguing tea Koenma himself recommended, Yusuke found he was quite partial to the taste. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact it was Koenma who had offered it to him.

Once Yusuke lowered his cup from his mouth, he found eyes still watching him intently and, not being one to back down, Yusuke returned the stare. It was a moment before Koenma turned away with a smile. 'So, tell me Yusuke, what brings you to the Spirit World this afternoon? I highly doubt it was the tea."

Yusuke shrugged, deciding to play it cool. Besides, his nerves were not settled enough for him to admit his true intention just yet. Setting the cup down on the table, Yusuke sat back in his chair and smirked. "I was just curious to see what a god does on his off-day," he replied nonchalantly.

Koenma smiled at the response. "Well, as you can see, it's nothing very exciting."

"So you usually drink tea all day?"

Koenma laughed softly. "Not all day, Yusuke," he said. "We usually sleep in most of the morning. In fact, I only just woke up about an hour ago."

"Ah." Yusuke picked his tea cup back up and took another sip.

"How's your tea?" Koenma asked once Yusuke set his cup back down again.

"It's pretty good. Where does it come from?"

"The human world."

Yusuke smirked. "Ah, so you do a lot of trade with my world? How much?"

Koenma smiled back. "Actually, only the best comes here. That's all we'll take."

Yusuke smiled as he picked his tea back up. An idea had begun to form in his head. "Only the best, eh?"

--

Luckily for Hiei, Kuwabara returned a moment later and joined his guests at last. "How's the tea?" he asked, a strange quiver in his voice.

Kurama grinned and took another sip as his response. Hiei picked up his tea and held it in his hands, all the while eyeing his fellow demon. He did not take a sip. "It is adequate," he replied absently to the human sitting in the arm chair across the table from him.

Kuwabara nodded, though he did not seem to hear the demon. He reached over the table to his tea cup, a lavishly decorated affair with pink and yellow flowers infecting the white porcelain and, picking up the heavy pot, poured hot water into the cup. Then, selecting a tea bag from the basket, he let it soak in his water. Then, Kuwabara leaned back in his arm chair and sighed.

"Has it been a long day for you?" Kurama asked, concerned.

The human nodded. "Yeah. C-couldn't get to sleep last night. Nightmares," he replied. Then, even though the tea was only a weak shade of puce yellow, Kuwabara took the tea bag out of his cup and laid it down on a napkin. He dumped three spoonfuls of sugar in the tea and stirred. Laying the spoon down beside the used bag, he took a hefty sip and sighed.

Hiei glanced down at his own tea and realized the bag was still soaking inside his cup. He decided to leave it in though.

Kurama tucked his tea cup into his chest and leaned forward. "Oh, what about?"

"…Honetadare Village." 1

There was an awkward silence then, where Kuwabara found himself staring out the window, Kurama was obliviously drinking his tea and Hiei was staring at everything but his two companions.

"So, did Yukina say why she couldn't come?" Kurama asked as a way to break the silence permeating the air.

Kuwabara slowly turned his head to face the fox. "I…asked her not to come," he said softly.

Hiei turned sharply to glare at the boy. "Why?" he hissed.

Kurama, who seemed to sober enough to sound slightly sane to his friend, suddenly placed his cup down on the table. "Well, I'm going to the bathroom," he said, then stood and left the room.

Kuwabara was looking at his tea now and Hiei was watching him intently. He was beginning to regret wishing Kuwabara would join them and was heartily willing to face his unstable fox friend again, whom he knew for a fact was definitely dropped on his head as a baby.

--

Koenma nodded. "Only the best," he reiterated, smiling as he noticed a sparkle in Yusuke's eyes. "Why?"

Yusuke chuckled softly. "Oh, no reason. I was just wondering if you meant that in everything."

"And by everything, do you mean…" Koenma trailed off, but his mouth was turned up in amusement at his Spirit Detective.

Yusuke leaned back further into the plush seat, his tea resting against his chest. "By everything," he said, "I mean _everything_."

Koenma set his tea down slowly, then sat forward in his chair, his eyes scrutinizing the easy expression on Yusuke's face. Finally, he moved back and laughed subtly. "Yes, Yusuke. In everything, we only take the best; I only accept the best."

A large weight of doubt lifted off Yusuke at the response, though at the same time it seemed to release the giddiness into his legs, of coming so close to his affection. Yusuke crossed one leg over the other to try to quell the shaking, but it only minimally helped. The warm tea in Yusuke's gentle hold gave him an idea, and Yusuke quickly downed the rest of his tea, in hopes that it would stop his legs from shivering in excitement and anxiousness. That seemed to work better and soon his body was stilled completely.

That is, until Koenma spoke again. "So, Yusuke, what brings you here?" he asked. This time his voice was not laughing. Looking up to meet the immortal's gaze, Yusuke knew he could not get away with another joke as he had the first time.

Yusuke smiled uneasily. "W-what do you mean, Koenma? I already told you." Koenma locked eyes as he leaned forward and picked up his tea cup again. When he took a sip, his stare shifted, but when the cup returned to the table, those brilliant eyes were back on the detective.

Yusuke bowed his head, his eyes narrowed at the floor. He was defeated. "I…I wanted to see you, Koenma," he whispered. "I-I needed…to see you."

---

"You haven't finished your tea," Kuwabara said, not looking at Hiei directly. Kuwabara was no coward and was not going to look away from the demon, but neither was he willing to look Hiei in the eyes. "In fact, you…you didn't have any of it, did you?"

"I don't know what you mean, Kuwabara," Hiei said even though he did.

"The tea bag is still in your cup."

Hiei frowned. "I like my tea strong," he retorted.

"Oh."

Hiei sighed and placed his cup down on the table. He wasn't really thirsty, the demon decided, nor was he cold. And he wasn't interested in spending the afternoon creating small talk with the human and the fox. He made as if to leave, but didn't, as Kuwabara called out to him.

"Please Hiei, don't go. W-we need to talk."

Hiei lowered himself back in his seat on the sofa, eyes suspicious and watching the human with a mild interest. "I suppose we do."

Kuwabara didn't speak, not at first. Conscious of Hiei's perceptive eyes looking at him, he quickly downed his tea, sputtering just a little at the hot- well, tepid now- liquid raced down his throat. Setting the ridiculous yellow eyesore down on the table, Kuwabara stood and walked towards the window, opening the shades and letting the little amount of sunlight find refuge from the rain on the beige carpet. He then returned to his seat.

By this time, Hiei was impatient and unwilling to wait out the human's nervous habits. Just as he readied himself to leave, Kuwabara finally spoke.

"You remember the video you gave to Urameshi, a long time ago?"

Hiei thought back, trying vaguely to recall such a memory. He finally shook his head.

"It had the mission to save Yukina."

Hiei remembered and showed it with a widening of red eyes.

"I…it wasn't my business really, but Urameshi needed to use my VCR to view the footage, and I watched too."

Hiei nodded, but did not speak. He wanted to hear what Kuwabara had to say.

"When I first saw Yukina, on the video, I was so ravaged by love I didn't bother…didn't bother to hear the rest of the tape. Maybe…I think now that I should have."

"You've never been known for your intelligence," Hiei remarked to himself.

"So I went to Honetadare never knowing…never hearing the reason why you appeared in that box with Tarukane."

"I wondered why you never questioned my presence," Hiei whispered to himself. "I just figured it was because you're a fool."

"Urameshi never did take the video back. So it stayed here, for the longest time, untouched."

"The Dark Tournament will do that to you. Take up all your time and memory," Hiei said.

"Until last night, when I watched it, all the way through."

Hiei didn't blink, didn't move at all. Kuwabara's eyes watched the sun dancing on his floor, flirting with the rain. Hiei wished he could see what the human was feeling, could see what his eyes had to say.

"I didn't know it was that tape. I thought it was just an old movie or something. But once I turned it on…I watched it, all the way through. Do you know…what's on that video?"

Hiei shook his head, but because Kuwabara was not looking his way, he didn't see the demon's response. "No."

"It…You're Yukina's brother, Koenma said. The one…she's looking for?"

"…Yes…I am," Hiei said softly. Nearly too soft for his companion to hear him.

---

"Why do you want to see me, Yusuke?" Koenma was smiling as if he already knew.

Yusuke shook his head, then lifted his tea cup to his lips, only to find it empty. Scowling lightly, he placed the plain porcelain on the desk, trying to avoid Koenma's eyes. "You know why," he said.

"I want to hear it from you," the immortal said. His cheerful mood irritated the detective.

"But why?" Yusuke asked, pleading really, not to say why.

Koenma grinned, got out of his desk chair and crossed over to the other side of his desk. Kneeling down, he forced his eyes upon Yusuke. "I want to know why you wake up in the middle of the night, reaching for something and calling my name."

Yusuke gasped, turned his eyes away again. He was not used to running away, but in this case, that was the only course of action open to him. "How…who told you that?"

"No one," Koenma said, placing one hand on Yusuke's leg and the other gently but firmly turning his chin around. "I know…because I feel the same way."

----

Kuwabara's haggard face finally looked up and Hiei pressed himself back into the cushions. His eyes, his human emotion eyes…why had he wanted to see?

"I never knew, yet how could I not? The hair on the back of my neck went up each time…each time I thought it was nearly her…and I only found you."

Hiei snorted, looked away. "Only me? Don't sound so disappointed."

Kuwabara looked down. "I'm not. I…I didn't mean to."

Hiei relaxed when the eyes turned away. "This doesn't change anything."

"Don't be stupid, Hiei," Kuwabara said. "You know it does."

----

Yusuke blinked confusion from his eyes. 'You knew I was coming all along, didn't you?" he said.

"Of course I knew, Yusuke," Koenma said. "If you hadn't come to me, then it would be the other way around, and we might find ourselves sipping coffee from a fresh pot you made for Atsuko instead. It was only a matter of time."

Yusuke frowned. "You knew all this time, you bastard?" he said, affronted. "You knew all this time and said nothing!"

Koenma shook his head. "I knew I was reaching for something, with a name on the edge of my lips, but I didn't know who I was trying to grasp, what name I longed to shout if I could. Not quite, until you walked through those doors."

-----

"What do you mean? Things don't have to change if we don't want," Hiei argued.

Kuwabara looked up again. He was not going to run away. "I love Yukina, always have. But something always felt missing, as though the auras were off. And now I know…it's because they were." Kuwabara stood from the seat and placed himself on the couch beside Hiei. "They were off because it was you I was looking for."

Hiei's eyes narrowed. "Things can't change that quickly. Emotions don't change that fast."

Kuwabara smiled. "But you're a demon. What do you know about emotions?"

Hiei smirked. "Well, in that case then, I guess I'll just have to accept the fact that they do."

"You bet feelings change," Kuwabara said, then leaned awfully close and…

-----

"You…but you really feel the same way, Koenma?' Yusuke asked, still unsure.

"Of course I do, idiot." Koenma, still gently holding Yusuke's chin in his delicate fingers, brought the youth's face down upon his, lips crushing together. A calm, like that before a storm, shimmered between their mouths as eyes, surprised and excited, elated and longing, laughed together. Then, lashing about in passionate fury, like two tidal waves crashing together at sea, Yusuke shoved his tongue through Koenma's lips and met with the immortal's equally eager tongue, dancing together like mating sharks, dangerous and beautiful at once, liquid and cool. Hot breath melded in their mouths, fired by contact and lust, driven by need and desire and greed. Seven deadly sins wrapped up in a kiss.

When they finally parted, wasted with kissing, they smiled. They didn't need to say the words; they were saying the words in their dreams and their hearts and knew it know from memory. It was all conveyed in that smile.

_End_

1 Honetadare Village a.k.a. Bone Ulcer Village, where Tarukane's summer house is located. This is where Yukina was held captive, until Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei rescued her. Ref. _YuYu Hakusho_- Volume 6, Chapter 45: "Springtime for Kuwabara!"

End AN: I toyed for a little while with the ending, not sure whether to end Kuwabara and Hiei in one big scene or scatter the final snippets of both together. I stuck with this version because I liked the flipping back and forth. Actually, overall, I liked writing this story. Especially Kurama…that was probably the most enjoyable part for me to work on. Overall though I just loved this. Even though…Kuwabara and Hiei technically don't kiss (which is cool with me, mheh.) Anyway, please review, yada yada you know the drill! Thanks in advance!

Rowan and Sakura

P.S. Please don't ask about the title. If you couldn't tell, we were kind of stuck for one!


End file.
